


Please (Klance)

by TheSleepyDuelist



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Insecure Lance (Voltron), M/M, Romance, Season/Series 05 Spoilers, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-05-16 15:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14813627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSleepyDuelist/pseuds/TheSleepyDuelist
Summary: Lance feels that Shiro isn't right. He knows that something is going on, and with the entire Universe at stake, he has to figure out how to keep the team together with a Shiro that isn't cooperating with his team.He confides in Keith through video chats in order to keep himself going. But, with doubt growing in his mind, Lance doesn't know how much more he can take.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> More tags and stuff will be added as the fanfiction goes on, and the title might change depending on how I feel.

There had only ever been one moment of self doubt in Lance's mind about his position in Voltron. Before Shiro came back and Keith was the Black Paladin, Lance had his doubts about where he fit in. Allura was piloting Blue, and with Keith probably wanting the Red Lion back when Shiro came, there was obviously going to be some sort of voice in the back of his head telling him that maybe he didn't deserve to be on the team.  
  
Keith's words had reassured him, though. Lance had a feeling talking to the leader, regardless of who it was, would help him. He was unsure of talking to Keith at first, but he assumed that since he was the Black Paladin, talking to him would be the best thing to do. It turned out well for his doubts, but...Keith was leaving them.  
  
Sure, it was a long time coming. Keith had been doing Blade of Marmora training for a while, and Lance could see how distant he was getting. It was like he was slowly drifting away from the team and becoming more focused on other things, even though they all knew that Keith would do anything for them, as they would for him.  
That didn't stop Lance from feeling pain when Keith finally said he was going to leave. As soon as Shiro was able to pilot the Black Lion again, that was when Lance knew Keith was going. He understood that, if Shiro could pilot Black, Keith wouldn't feel like he had a reason to stay. How could he stop him? Keith had family on his mind, he had found somewhere he thought he belonged and how could Lance tell him no, how could he just rip that away from him all because Keith leaving would make him feel emptier than ever?  
  
So Lance didn't say anything, and he watched as Keith left, his expression one of mixed pain and relief. He was happy Keith was doing this and it was making him happy, but...well, he couldn't exactly say the situation itself made him happy. All Lance could do was watch as Keith left and wish he could have done something more to make him stay. He wished there was something that could have been said to just force Keith to not go.  
  
But that wasn't reality. And Lance knew that.  
  


* * *

  
"I told you to stay out of this!"  
  
Those words stabbed Lance like a knife to the chest. Wasn't he supposed to be Shiro's right-hand man, the Red Paladin, the one he listened to? Why was he being so angry with him? Lance looked visibly shocked and upset, and he felt it too. All of the Paladins would be able to tell how hurt he was.  
  
But of course, the conversation continued, even though Lance was trying to hide all of the emotions clearly written on his face.  
  
"While you all waste time squabbling, sinister forces are conspiring to fill the Galra power void. If I do not return to claim the throne, there is no telling who will." Lotor's voice filled the room, and Lance couldn't bring himself to look at anyone.  
  
"Good. It's settled."  
  
Lance really couldn't face Shiro again. They still had Voltron to form, and they had plans, but his heart wasn't in it. He had blocked out the voices around him as his mind focused on the words Shiro had said to him. Reeling in his mind, he didn't understand what he had done wrong. All he had wanted was to calm Shiro down, to get him to co-operate with the team like the leader he used to be.  
  
...Were his words too harsh?  
  
And that was the second time Lance felt as if he wasn't fit enough to be part of Voltron, the second time he had doubts about his place in a machine that was battling a constant War throughout space. But it wasn't the first time that Lance felt the need to go home, or that he got the feeling he wasn't needed or wanted on the team. If he was made to stay out of every decision Shiro made from now on, then what was he supposed to do?  
  
That was one of the first times he had longed for Keith's budding leadership. Lance felt it, the subtle pull towards the person who was able to reassure him the first time he began to worry about the numbers of the team. Lance didn't feel like he could talk to Shiro like he did to Keith. He didn't feel like he could talk to Shiro at all.  
  
As the tension rose between the team, all Lance could think about was what was going to happen to Voltron. He had realised at that moment that perhaps Shiro wasn't exactly on the ball. They were all stressed, and trusting Lotor seemed out of the question for a lot of reasons, but if Shiro said they were trusting him, that was it. His word was final. He's the leader of Voltron, and his decision is final.  
  
Lance clenched his fists tightly, the feeling of dread coming onto him as he realised what he would have to do. If Shiro wasn't going to calm people down, he would have to step up and do his job more as the Red Paladin. Even as he thought that, there was a small echoing thought in the back of his mind. If Keith were here in his place as the Red Paladin, would this have happened? Taking a deep breath, he followed the actions of the rest of his team and stayed silent.   
  
He would have to think about that later. Right now, they had to stay strong and keep their bond to form Voltron. If Lance faltered now, it could put the team in jeopardy. The last thing they needed was the inability to form Voltron. 


	2. Video Call

"And then he did _what_?"   
  
It was as if Keith wasn't listening. Lance sighed, trying to keep a straight head as he told Keith all of what had occured within the past few days. Lotor was now the Emperor of the Galra, and despite the alliance, things hadn't been easier. Tensions between all Paladins were tricky to avoid, and Lance didn't feel as if he could look Shiro in the eye again without having some sort of conflict.   
  
"He yelled at me, Keith. Full on _yelled_ at me! For nothing!"  
  
"Are you sure you didn't just...you know...be yourself?"  
  
The comment made Lance grumble, "No, Keith. Something isn't right with Shiro."  
  
Silence fell between the two, the only audible noise being the soft hum of the screen in front of them. The darker, more purple-ish light from Keith's video was almost soothing to have in front of him as Lance thought of the words he would say to tell him that things weren't going as well as he had hoped.  
  
"Maybe..." Keith breathed after what seemed like an eternity, "maybe Shiro has some personal things going on? He might not have recovered fully from being held captive by the Galra."  
  
Lance shook his head, "Why would that come out now, though?"  
  
"He was captured twice, Lance, I would be pretty on edge too."  
  
"But this isn't like Shiro - you have to admit that, Keith!"   
  
After a long, heavy sigh, Keith's figure on the other side of the screen shifted. He was uncomfortable with the idea that there was something wrong with Shiro - even Lance was afraid to admit it at first. If there was a problem with their leader, then Voltron could crumble faster than anyone could predict, leaving the rest of the work to the rebel forces. Everyone needed Shiro to be the leader that helped them form Voltron if they were going to keep this up and take back what was once free.   
  
"Look, Lance, we all know that Shiro is having a hard time right now. Everyone is with the weight of this war. But you've gotta listen to me when I say that I believe you-"  
  
"So you _do_ think he's acting weird!"  
  
"I wasn't finished!" Keith groaned a little, "I believe you, Lance. I believe that something is wrong with Shiro but it won't be anything ridiculous. He's stressed, we're all stressed - things are just not that great right now."  
  
"You don't even know the half of it, Mullet..." Lance murmured under his breath, but the comment was heard by Keith regardless. Lance's face was turned away, unable to see the rage in Keith's face as the other realised what he might need to do.   
  
"Yeah, well, I'm gonna learn, aren't I?"   
  
The comment made Lance look up. The stress he had been keeping inside of him was willing to burst out at any second, but he had to keep his act up. Keith was only here for a certain amount of time before he had to go away again, and Lance didn't want to worry him with the problems of something he left behind. As much as Keith was still a part of the Voltron team, if he constantly worried about them, it would jeopardise his Marmora missions. At least, that's what Lance assumed.  
  
Shifting his position on the bed, Lance moved the device so he could lie down. Placing the screen beside him, Lance lay curled up on his side as he watched the boy behind the device. The Blade of Marmora base was as dark as Lance's room, but the soft purple tones of of the area made it seem less like an average Galra base and more like a symbol of hope. It was more gentle than the harsh magenta Lance was so used to seeing every time they infiltrated a Galra base, and it made him think about how much time Keith must have spent there. 

Was he used to the entire purple colour palette by now? Did he miss the light blues of the Castle of Lions, the softness the colours gave them whenever they walked into a room? Sighing, Lance closed his eyes, his mind a jumbled mess of questions and feelings that he couldn't quite comprehend just yet. If he tried, he felt as if his mind rejected everything he would have thought of before he came to realise it. 

"Lance...?" Keith whispered, noting that the boy hadn't responded to him for a while. His voice was soft and gentle, as if saying something in a harsh tone would cause Lance to break.

"Sorry, sorry," opening his eyes, Lance smiled, "yeah. You will learn. You got time?"

"Plenty."

* * *

"Lance, watch your back!"

"On it!"

Another training session, but one well thought out. Shiro had calmed down and things were still rocky, but Lance was doing his best to keep his cool. In one swift move, he was turning around, shooting at the small orbs that had appeared to threaten them. In three quick shots, they were all down, and Lance could breathe easy. 

"Nice work, Lance. I expect nothing less from our sharpshooter."

The Red Paladin turned around to smile at Shiro, glad that he seemed to finally be on track. It was Lance who had asked for this training session, after all. Having Shiro observe him and see where he might be going wrong in his close-ranged shooting was something Lance had wanted to test for a long time, even if right now tensions were high amongst them both.

"Thanks for agreeing to this, Shiro. I've still got a lot to work on, though."

Lance's gun turned back into his normal bayard as he wiped the sweat off of his brow, making his way over to Shiro so he could get a few pointers from his leader. The Red Paladin had figured that there was no point in keeping negative emotions for too long, and when he had asked Shiro to help him, it was a little tense at first. Mostly because Lance was constantly nervous about what Shiro would say to him. Whenever he did something wrong, or held his gun in a weird way, Shiro would comment on it. His nerves soon dwindled when he realised he had nothing to be afraid about - Shiro was still their leader, and he would help them if they needed it. That's what Lance had forgotten.

"Not really," the other commented, folded arms becoming unravelled, "use your bayard again, there's just a couple of things you could do better."

Complying, Lance did as he was told, the rifle appearing again. He held it like he normally would, allowing Shiro to just tell him a few things about what he was doing. The bond between them seemed to be growing as right hand man and leader, but Lance couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that, whenever Shiro looked at him, someone else was staring back. He couldn't help but stare into his eyes, wondering if there  _was_ something he was missing. Something everyone was missing but it was so obvious to see. 

"Lance...? Lance!"

"Huh? What?" Forced back into reality, Lance was startled by Shiro calling his name. A sigh and a small shake of his head later, Shiro rested his hand on Lance's shoulder. 

"You seemed lost, there. Is there something wrong with my face?"

"No, sorry. I'm just...thinking about a lot, y'know?"

Shiro squeezed Lance's shoulder, but it didn't feel reassuring. 

"We all are, Lance. You've done a lot of work today. Let's take a break and we'll work on quick moving targets at close range, alright?"

"...Yeah."

Lance didn't feel reassured at all. 

 


	3. Pushing It

The training session had worn Lance out. He wasn't completely exhausted, but he was going to milk it for all it was worth. His body was sprawled against the floor of his room, letting his thoughts and feelings come to mind on the subject of Shiro. After they had a break, Shiro seemed more determined and harsh with how he was instructing him. It was almost as if he was tired of Lance getting hit, freaking out, and then trying to avoid being hurt again. Sadly, bruises were forming already, and even though Lance was blaming Shiro for creating blotches of imperfection on his skin, he probably deserved it.

Lance was a hardworker. He knew that, but did Shiro? Their session had gone well, but there was still the aching feeling that something was wrong wavering over him. Something was just...not adding up. He wasn't himself, he wasn't acting like the Shiro he knew. Lance turned onto his side, facing his bed with a glare that could only be described as pensive, yet confused.

Sighing, Lance got up and stretched. Pidge and Hunk were busy at work (as usual) and Allura was off helping Lotor, and God only knew where Shiro and Coran were after Lance had finished off the training session. From what he knew, everyone was off doing their own thing, which meant he was alone. Again. With his thoughts.

He couldn't be left alone like this. His mind was getting to him and as much as Lance wanted to be in solitude, this was not his way of doing it. He was still sore from what he had done with Shiro, but Lance was yet to test out his broadsword and with nothing else to do, now was the perfect time to try it out.

The Paladin made his way through the corridors of the Castle, ignoring the hallways in which he could hear chatter from other people until he eventually found himself in the training room. The doors swished behind Lance as he entered. He wasn't wearing any armour like he was previously, and this was far more reckless than he had ever been, but what was the harm in trying to get it right? You weren't always going to fight with armour, were you?

Taking a deep breath, Lance readied his bayard and activated the new upgrade on his bayard. He took a moment to stare at the broadsword and examine how it felt in his hands. Lance had hardly had to use it seeing as there was no point - he was the Sharpshooter, and that was what he had been attaining to reach in his training sessions; why would he do anything else?

"Begin training sequence."

Lance got into the stance Allura had shown him, remembered what he should do when using a sword of this stature, and as soon as the training sequence began, he was off.

He had never used a sword before. It was a lot harder than he thought, and even though there were more blotches, bruises and cuts appearing on his body by the second, Lance kept going. No matter how many times he had to get up, no matter how many cuts his body adorned, he kept fighting. He couldn't see the self-destructive nature of his attacks, of how each blow and use of the bayard was making his hand hurt more and more, of how his arms and wrists ached and pleaded with him to stop fighting.

It was only when his body was thrown across the room for what seemed like the 100th time, Lance decided it was time to give up. His bayard de-activated, and he barely muttered the words to end the sequence before he was struck again. Pain shot through him and he gasped, struggling to get over what he assumed would be an easy end. Lance could barely find the strength to get up, let alone fight the robot that was programmed to engage with him.

"E-end..." he gasped, but another voice came instead.

"End training sequence!"

It was stronger and more powerful, but Lance couldn't exactly place who had spoken for him. The training sequence finally ended and Lance felt the air around him get lighter. He could breathe and relax. Warm hands carefully helped lift him up, and all Lance could do was submit to the warmth and lean into it. His body ached and he was pained by his own recklessness.

"Oh, Lance..."

That was all he heard before he blacked out, the voice still unrecognisable to him.

* * *

 

  
Waking up after being so hard on yourself was...horrible, to say the least. Lance couldn't exactly find it in himself to face the other Paladins after he emerged from the pod, his body healed and the fatigue that he once felt almost entirely gone from his body. To his surprise, the first person to catch him after he emerged was Shiro.

He turned to look up at the leader of their group, giving his goofy smile to mask the expression he would have liked to wear. Except...Shiro didn't smile back. His stare was cold and he didn't look as if he cared for Lance's attempt at brightening up the situation at all. Immediately, Lance retracted his smile and looked disappointed.

"You don't need to lecture me..." he murmured, forcing himself away from the older Paladin as he stumbled to find his footing, "I'm sorry for being so reckless."

"I'm glad you understand that. You could have been seriously hurt, or worse, when I found you." Shiro's voice was icier than his stare. Lance shivered.

"Where's the team?" It looked as if Shiro was the only one there beside him. Was he the only one that had come to see if he was alright? That didn't make any sense. Everyone else should have been there, everyone else should be around him to greet him and tell him off but...it was only Shiro.

"Don't worry, they'll all be here. We expected you to be awake a lot later than this, but they'll be notified about you waking up. Take some time to rest and get some food in you. I think we're all going to be taking a break for a while whilst we go through our next plan of action, so just ease up a bit."

Lance watched Shiro closely, eyeing how he talked and how his movements weren't the same. He could see the warning signs - his cold stare, the way he treated him, the way he walked. Shiro wasn't Shiro and Lance didn't understand how.

With a sigh, he allowed himself to use Shiro's support again whilst he waited for the team to arrive to greet him. He just wanted to rest and go to bed. Maybe he would be allowed to skip a few training sessions or something. Maybe then he could get all of the ideas and thoughts in his head straight and write them down in an attempt to convince everyone that everything was not as okay as it seemed.

He wished Keith was here.


	4. Decision

For once, it was Keith calling Lance. His palms sweat nervously under the purple lights, taking down the hood on his suit and allowing his helmet to phase out. It was just him and the screen now. Lance was usually alone at this time from what Keith had learned during his odd time schedule with the Blades - mission times were always weirdly out of place and Keith could hardly tell the time any more, but at least he knew that after his usual rounds of training, Lance would be available.

It was weird, though, that Lance hadn't called him. Keith was usually rushing to answer the video to see how the team was doing and how Lance was holding up, but the lack of a ringing tone in his ears that was telling him to pick up was worrying, to say the least. A shaky finger hesitantly pressed the button, and now all he had to do was wait. As soon as Keith pressed the button, though, his gut told him that something was amiss. Something was going to be wrong, either with Lance or with the entire team, but he wouldn't know what until Lance picked up.

Around a minute later, the tone faded and Lance appeared on the screen. "Lance!" Keith sighed, about to ask him where he was...until he saw his sunken eyes, dark circles underneath them. The smile that he wore was clearly a facade meant to fool Keith into thinking that everything was as it always was, but it wasn't. And to top it all off, the deep, ocean blue that Keith had grown so accustomed to seeing through the screen looked empty.

What had they done to him?

"Lance, what happened to you?" Instantly, Keith's mood shifted. He sat up straighter, eyes scanning for any movements that seemed irregular because Lance wasn't the same, and he wasn't going to let it go unnoticed. He refused to.

"What do you mean, Keith?" There it was. Lance's lips curved into a shaky, transparent smile that would probably fool others, but not Keith. Never Keith. "Nothing happened to me."

"Lance, don't lie to me." Keith's brows furrowed, his expression less gentle and more stern.

"Fine! Fine, jeez Mullet..." Lance sighed, eyes wandering around the screen as if looking at Keith would elicit a sea of emotions, "I overdid it in the Battle Simulator thing. I just worked too hard, and had to go into the pods afterwards."

"You did what? Why wasn't anyone with you?"

"Chill out! I just...I just went too hard, and I didn't tell anybody I was doing it. So they didn't come and see me. Really, Keith, don't make such a deal out of me-"

"Well why can't I?!" Keith's tone even surprised himself. He was angry, but not at Lance. What was everyone else doing whilst Lance just tried to harm himself in with training? There wasn't an excuse for it, even if Lance was the one who did this to himself. "Why can't I make a deal out of it, Lance?!"

"Keith, calm down! You don't have to yell at me, I get it! Shiro already gave me a lecture and I really don't need another one!"

Keith stopped. For a moment, he could feel the hurt coming from Lance even if they weren't in the same room, and he had to take a moment to steady his emotions. Lance needed him to not be angry right now - he needed to be stable. Taking a deep breath, Keith closed his eyes and eventually gave a brief nod towards him.

"...Alright. I'm sorry. I just-...seeing you, like that, I thought something horrible had happened. How's the team doing, Lance?"

"We're strained..." Lance finally looked at Keith, as if changing the subject had made Keith easier to look at, "but sort of working together. Shiro's been as difficult as ever."

Keith clicked his tongue against his cheek, glancing down at his feet. Every conversation he and Lance had had about Shiro had always ended the same way - Shiro was hurting the team, and there was no reason as to why. Keith knew him better than anyone, they were like brothers. What were they meant to do? What was Lance meant to do about something like this? Or better yet, himself? If Shiro was acting up, Keith knew that there wouldn't be much the team could do to resolve it. He was the Pilot of the Black Lion, meaning he was supposed to keep the team together. Without that trust...

"I see..." Keith ran his hand through his hair nervously, "and, how are you, Lance?"

"Huh?"

"I asked how you were."

"Oh. I'm fine, Keith. Hey, look, I gotta go man. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

Before Keith could respond, Lance had hung up. The call had ended, and now all that was in front of Keith was a faint purple screen, the buzzing louder than anything Keith had ever heard in his life. There wasn't a moment in that call where he felt like Lance was alright or wasn't faking his smiles. His face wasn't ever meant to look like that.

Keith had been in the grips of unrequited love for quite some time when it came to Lance. Everything Lance did was never unnoticed by Keith, and now? He couldn't just stand back and let this happen. If there was a crack in Voltron, he was going to have to try and fix it. Lance was going to have to make do without him for a few days, as was the Blade. Keith had made up his mind, and no matter what, he was going to that Castle.

He left his quarters to suit up again, his helmet phasing back into view. It had been a while since he visited Voltron, so surely this wouldn't be something he wasn't allowed to do? It didn't matter to Keith whether he was allowed or not, though. He was going. There was no stopping him.

He was going to seen that Voltron could survive without him. He had to.


	5. Discussion

Lance came into the kitchen to find that there was bickering amongst the Paladins. All he had wanted was to see what everyone was up to to escape the vast corners of his mind, and he was now greeted with the scowling faces of Pidge, Hunk, and unspurprisingly, Shiro. Allura and Coran seemed to be trying to settle something between the three of them. It was clear from how they were sitting that nobody wanted to be near Shiro.

"Uh..." Lance coughed, gaining the attention of the others. He was surprised to see their faces light up, with the exception of Shiro, who looked stern and focused.

"Lance! You're okay!" Hunk was the first to greet him, practically scrambling to give him a bear hug before anyone else had the chance to, "We were so worried!"

"Yeah, what did you think you were doing?" Pidge's concerned voice came through despite Hunk's massive hug muffling everything, "You could have really hurt yourself!"

"I was just training, guys...you don't have to worry so much."

"Yeah, well, we did," Hunk finally let him go, allowing Pidge to give Lance another hug whilst the Yellow Paladin moved around the table, "and I made so much food whilst you were in that pod!"

"Some of it made a mess of the kitchen..." Pidge guided Lance to a chair and sat down beside him, smiling, "but Hunk figured it out eventually."

"Cooking is an art, and sometimes it goes wrong, Pidge!"

Lance chuckled at their comments. He missed being able to joke around with the rest of the Paladins - he had felt so shut off from everything and everyone, but maybe he didn't have to. Maybe things didn't have to be as distant as they had been. Even so, Lance could tell that the dynamic in the team had shifted. Nobody was really interacting with Shiro, and for good reason. Casting a glance in his direction, Lance saw the hard glare that came from him. Even if he tried to mask it moments later there was no hiding that Lance saw it, and Shiro would know that.

"Glad to see you have the strength to move around, Lance. Still, it was reckless of you to hurt yourself like that. Don't do it again."

Lance shot Shiro a grin that he hoped he wouldn't see through, "I won't."

It wasn't a promise Lance was willing to keep, but he was going to try. As much as he wanted to tell the rest of the team that he wouldn't damage himself like that again, he couldn't help it if he needed to blow off steam. As self-destructive as his behaviour was, was it so wrong to want to just give in to the itch? He'd be able to beat the simulation eventually, and if he kept going like this...

Lance shook his head as Hunk placed a plate in front of him. It was piled with green goo, but garnished with some weird herb Hunk had probably collected on one of their many missions to get more people in on the Voltron alliance. Lance gave Hunk a raised brow, who just gestured for him to try it, before popping a spoonful of the stuff in his mouth.

The taste reminded him of home. It was weird, in a sense, how much Hunk could do with some goo and some weird herb on another planet, but it made a huge difference. Lance blinked and swallowed the goo that was in his mouth, pointing the spoon at Hunk with a huge grin.

"Dude, you've got some skill! How did you manage to do this?"

The atmosphere around the room soon became light-hearted as Hunk explained the ins and outs of how he had to re-program the taste of the goo and then try and mix in some of the other spices he had found around other planets. This was what Lance had been missing out on. The liveliness of having friends, the sheer happiness they brought when they were around you - it was all something that nobody should have to live without.

But, as soon as it had started, the atmosphere grew tense again. After Hunk had explained his cooking to Lance, a heavy silence fell over everyone. It was as if they were waiting for someone to talk, or waiting for something to happen to ease the tension that was getting thicker at each second that ticked by. If Lance reached his hand out, he was sure it would get stuck with how heavy everything had become in a matter of seconds.

Well, someone had to talk, didn't they?

"Thanks for this, Hunk," Lance smiled at him, finishing off the last of the good before pushing the bowl away from him, "and sorry for worrying you guys. Guess I went a little bit overboard, huh?"

Allura, who had been at the sidelines observing the situation unfold between the Paladins, stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Lance's shoulder. He brought his gaze up from his empty bowl, surprised at how tender her hold was.

"We're just glad you're alright, Lance. Please be more careful next time, we can't afford to have any more Paladins out of commission."

"You're right. Sorry, Princess."

And that was where the conversation ended. The noise of Shiro shifting in his seat made everyone's heads turn around, and Lance could feel the anxiety rise in his throat, grasping at his eyes and forcing him to stare at the man across the room that Lance couldn't identify with anymore.

"Now that Lance is finally back...once you get back on your feet, we have some things we need to discuss." And then the tension got thicker. Lance stared longingly at his empty bowl, wanting it to be filled again just so he had a distraction from the way everyone seemed to glare at Shiro. Just what had happened when he was out?

"Shiro, is now really the time to discuss such matters?" Allura interjected, her warm hand removing itself from Lance's shoulder, "I understand how time is of the essence, but we should be safe for now."

"I understand your concern, Princess, but if we don't talk about what we're going to do about Lotor then nothing will get done. We have to discuss it now."

Lance sank back in his seat, feeling his stomach do flips as he tried to calm himself down. It was as if everyone had turned against their leader, and Lance was utterly clueless as to why. Perhaps they had all finally noticed that Shiro wasn't himself, or he was being difficult, or maybe something happened that Lance wasn't aware of.

Whatever it was, he needed to resolve the anger in the room, and fast.

"Let's just discuss what's going to happen with Lotor," Lance stood up, hands firm on the table, "because it seems like that's all that's keeping us from being a team right now. So if we just get it out of the way, we can relax. Right, Shiro?"

The man before him hesitated, staring at Lance with cold eyes. But, the gaze softened, and soon it was as if Shiro stood before him, even if it was for a split second. Lance caught the change, and realised that maybe something bigger was at play here.

"...Right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be from Keith's P.O.V again :)


	6. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said Keith's P.O.V was going to be the only one in this chapter, but I needed to split it! Sorry

It wasn't very wise of Keith to up and leave the Blade's headquarters without asking. He had been found out, near the ships, and was told off for being so reckless. It wasn't as if Keith was doing it out of spite, and Kolivan wasn't a bad person - he knew Keith had a tendency to act on his emotions even though the 'mission' came above all else.

"Keith, I understand the need to see your friends, but-"

"But what? They need me out there, and I can't just leave them like this. The team is a mess-" Keith was getting desperate. Every time he spoke he knew he was putting himself in a higher risk of not being able to make it to Voltron, but they just needed him for a while!

"The mission comes first."

"This _is_ my new mission." Keith was defiant, his glare making Kolivan stop whatever he was going to say. "Without Voltron, we have no way to end this War. I'm going. I just need to help them sort this out, and then I can come back for whatever we have to do next. You're going to need to do the next one without me."

Kolivan knew what Keith was like. He understood when Keith was angry, understood he was an emotional person and began to understand what humans were like because of Keith. He had spent so much time with him, and because he knew him better than Keith probably wanted him to, he made the decision right there and then on what to do.

Keith turned on his heel to leave Kolivan and the Blade behind. He wasn't leaving permanently - that was for sure. He just needed to go for now. Needed to be with Voltron, his team. In the inner workings of his mind, Keith thought he was doing the right thing. Really, what he couldn't see, was that his emotions were blinding him again. But this time, perhaps it was for the better.

Keith was so focused on the team that he forgot about the big picture - the main reason why he had been so defiant. Lance. No matter what Keith went through, it was always Lance that managed to get under his skin. Even if it was something as simple as a competition, an argument, or something else entirely that Keith hadn't figured out yet - Lance was always a reason to do something. He just couldn't see it yet.

"Keith!"

Keith turned around, about to tell Kolivan that he was definitely going and he wasn't going to be able to stop him- until he saw the look in Kolivan's eyes.

"I'll tell you when you need to return. Be safe. Remember, when the mission is done, get out."

With a smile, Keith nodded, running off in the direction of the nearest ship. Voltron needed him.

* * *

Lance had had enough.

The tension in the room was too much, and their discussion about Lotor had led them nowhere. They were utterly stuck in the same place as they were before with no end to the bickering in sight. It had taken all of Lance's energy to keep the team together - but it just wasn't working.

Nothing was _working_.

His patience was wearing thin - how could it not? Shiro was on edge with almost everyone, and with the way he was acting, it would be hard to keep a bond and be able to form Voltron. But, at the end of the day, no matter how much they argued...Shiro was still Shiro.

He was Lance's rolemodel, the one he always admired for being such an amazing pilot. He was a good man, and deep down, everyone had some sort of connection to him in the end. And no matter what...they would still love him. Even if it hurt. Even if it hurt to keep the connection going, and it hurt to see him so riled up because of this War, they had to.

Lance had to.

And that's where he found himself. Stuck between being hurt by everything Shiro said and did and the admiration he held for him as a person. He was never just going to be a hero anymore - he was everyone's father figure. Lance's chest tightened, forcing him to put his hand to his shirt and grip on tightly, as if it was an anchor in the sea that crashed around in his head.

And as seas do, the waves only got larger, creating noise Lance didn't even think was possible. And with everything in his mind faltering, he had to just leave. Get out of the argument. Get out of it all.

He had left the room a while ago. Claimed he needed more shut-eye, claimed that the few days he spent in the pods hadn't healed everything yet. The glances the team gave him were knowing, but they all agreed simultaneously. It was enough to let the heated debate simmer down and to let Lance put his mind at ease, even if, now, being alone in his room only made the storm in his chest bigger, he needed to rest.

He thought about calling Keith. Several times, actually. He thought that, maybe, if he called Keith, he'd be able to vent his thoughts and ensure that he was at least getting something out of him. He thought about how much he longed to just talk to him, or better yet, see him. How long had it been since he visited? Since they talked?

The thought slowly faded away, along with Lance's rational thinking. No. Keith would be busy at this time, and he couldn't just call him whenever he wanted. He was lucky that Kolivan even let them chat - Keith was a member of the Blade, surely that compromised their position at times? Maybe their transmissions were heavily encrypted or something. He didn't want to think too much into it - he wouldn't understand it like Pidge or Hunk could.

And then came the incoming message on the screen in front of him. It was small, and sure, he thought it was Keith, which was why he answered it immediately. He began to frown when he realised it was just Allura - which, usually, would make him smile.

"Lance," her voice was calm on the call, but it sounded like she was...happy? "Report to the hangar immediately."

That...was odd. What would Allura want with him in the hangar? He simply nodded, "Alright, I'll be there soon, Princess," and then hung up.

The trek to the hangar was not a welcomed one. He didn't know what was waiting for him, and frankly, he didn't know if he wanted to find out. It had been a while since Allura looked that way since talking to him, and maybe it meant that something good was about to happen? Lance scoffed, rounding the corner and making it to the door which led to the hangar.

Yeah, like that was happening.

As the door swished open, Lance wasn't fully prepared for what he was about to see. His jaw dropped when there, right in front of him, was the team and _Keith_. The one person he trusted, the one person he had been talking to for so long about his problems - he came back?

"K-Keith?" He called out, letting his tone falter slightly. It had been so long since Keith was here, in the flesh, and now Lance was able to see him...

He had to bottle it. Lance stood up taller, a smile adorning his face as he walked further into the room, placing his hands on his hips in such a Lance-like manner that it made the other Paladins groan.

"You're back! What are you here for?"

Without missing a beat, Keith gave the most certain and assured gaze Lance had ever laid eyes upon:

"I'm here to fix the hole in this team."


	7. Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> It's been a long time since I've updated this story, but I promise that I will try and update more from now on! Yes, it's still here, and I'm actually still alive! I know, shocker. 
> 
> I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here you are :)

Confusion laced Lance's voice as he tried to get a grip on what had just occurred. He takes a few steps back from Keith, the other Paladins a little alarmed at what he had just said.  _The hole? In this team?_  Lance didn't understand. He places a hand to his face, fingers up against his temples as he tries to think about what's going on. Either he's stupid and doesn't get it, or there's some bigger picture that he's  _missing_. It might be the latter. In fact, it probably was the latter. 

"Okay, whoa, wait-" Lance flourishes his hand forward, “Keith, you come back, and spout some weird stuff like _that?_ Are you going to explain what you mean, or?”

“Yeah, what’s going on, Keith?” Shiro would cut in, giving Lance a sideways glance. It was as if Keith’s appearance here, and what he had said was Lance’s fault. That stare he had been trying to avoid for so long, it just cut him. Cut him too deep.

“ _That_ -“ Keith points his finger at Lance, then looks at Shiro with a defiant glare, “that is what I’m talking about! What was that?”

“Keith, it’s rude to call Lance a ‘that’.” Pidge scoffs, earning a frown from Lance.

“Yeah, well, at this point, do _any_ of you pay any attention to him? And Shiro, I saw the look you gave him. Don’t turn this on him for something I decided to do!”

“Alright, alright!” Coran, who had been witnessing the entire thing, had had enough. The older Altean places a hand on Keith’s shoulder, giving him a gentle expression. It seemed to calm him down a little. “I understand you must be tired, Keith. It has been a while since you’ve been back here- perhaps you can stay and rest for a while?”

There was clearly hesitance in Keith’s actions. He wanted to speak, and Lance could see the inner struggle in his eyes as the former Black Paladin tears his shoulder away from Coran, nodding slowly. Lance _did_ notice some bags under Keith’s eyes…maybe he hadn’t been sleeping? Or the journey was rough? There was so much going on there…so much to unpack.

But of course, what Lance couldn’t see was what his own eyes were showing on the other end of the room.

“…Alright, Coran. I’ll get to rest up a bit, but then we need to talk. All of us.”

“I’ll take him!” It had come out before Lance realised what had happened. And then in a blur of things he can’t quite remember, he’s walking Keith to his room, the other Paladins going back to their daily business.

Which means he’s now alone. With Keith. Walking down the corridors of the Castle of Lions, leading him to his old room. Which is beside his own.

 _Fuck_.

The walk to Keith’s old room was done in silence. All Lance could hear was their breathing, and the faint noise of their footsteps meshing together as they walked in sync. As normal as it would be to anyone else, Lance was unsettled. He hadn’t seen Keith in the flesh for God knows how long, the video calls barely keeping his mind sane – and he spends the few moments he has with him before everything goes to shit walking in _silence?_ It just didn’t seem right.

But there was no other way for them to react. Down these corridors, where their rooms were close enough to each other that they could basically hear each other think, Lance had spent the majority of his time getting to know that empty room. Getting to know the items Keith kept in there, how void of life it really was, how Keith really didn’t seem to live there at all. And yet, he was still here. And now he was physically here. And Lance couldn’t handle the pressure that gave him.

And before he had realised it, he was outside of Keith’s room. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other since Lance started walking, and it was clear that he wanted to. No words would come out, though. Nothing seemed to…really get out.

“Lance?” He turns his head to face him. Keith was…closer than Lance remembered.

“This is your room, Keith!” Lance immediately goes into protection mode as Keith seems to be getting closer. Or maybe he’s like a tornado – if it looks like it’s standing still, it’s coming towards you. _That’s worse, actually._

“Lance.”

“Sorry for uh, the long walk, but you can rest up now, right?”

“Lance-“

“And uh I kept everything the same, and Hunk cleaned your stuff for you, so you can just go in like nothing ever happened and-“

“Lance!”

And now Keith was against him. Lance stares at him for the brief moment that he can before Keith has him pinned against the wall, hands at either side of his body.

“…K…Keith?” He whispers his name, unsure where this was headed. “Why are you so close? What…what are you doing?”

“ _Listen_ to me,” he breathes, and Keith’s face is incredibly close to Lance’s at this point. There’s barely any room between them, or any room at all for that matter, “you’ll get through this. Okay?”

There’s static in Lance’s head that forces him to do a double take. What was Keith saying to him? Why was Keith…being so weird? It didn’t add up. None of this was making any sense, and Lance was not prepared for what would happen next.

“Here-“

His hand was grabbed, and he was pulled into Keith’s room with him. Lance almost reacted by tugging it back, but there was no reaction from his body. The doors closed behind them, Lance being dragged to sit on Keith’s bed. Once they were both settled, Keith looked up at Lance, gaze turning soft.

“Talk to me.”


End file.
